The Portland Penny is the name subsequently given to a specific coin

Coin

A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....

, a U.S. copper one-cent piece, used to decide the name of Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Two immigrants, Francis Pettygrove

Francis Pettygrove

Francis William Pettygrove , commonly known as William Pettygrove, was a pioneer and one of the founders of the cities of Portland, Oregon, and Port Townsend, Washington. Born in Maine, he re-located to the Oregon Country in 1843 to establish a store in Oregon City...

 from Portland, Maine

Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

 and Asa Lovejoy

Asa Lovejoy

Asa Lawrence Lovejoy was an American pioneer and politician in the region that would become the U.S. state of Oregon. He is best remembered as a founder of the city of Portland, Oregon...

 from Boston, Massachusetts both wanted to name the fledgling site—then known as The Clearing—after their respective home towns.

The coin toss was decided in 1845 with two out of three tosses which Pettygrove won. The toss occurred in the parlor of the Ermatinger House

Francis Ermatinger House

The Francis Ermatinger House is located in Oregon City, Oregon, United States. Built by Francis Ermatinger in 1845, it is the oldest house in Clackamas County...

, in Oregon City

Oregon City, Oregon

Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...

. This house, the oldest in Clackamas County

Clackamas County, Oregon

Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...

, is now a museum. Portland was incorporated in 1849.

The coin, minted in 1835, is now on display in the Oregon Historical Society Museum

Oregon Historical Society Museum

The Oregon Historical Society Museum is a history museum housed at the Oregon History Center in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The museum was created in 1898 and house about 44,000 visitors annually....

.